SEGUIN, Texas – The Southwestern University Pirates men's basketball team handed conference-leader Texas Lutheran University its fourth conference loss of the season, defeating the Bulldogs 93-83 on their own court.

In his second game starting in conference play, Joel Martinez led a balanced Pirate offense that featured four players in double figures with 19 points and four assists.

Martinez was brutally efficient scoring from all levels, hitting 3-for-3 from the 3-point line and 8-for-9 overall with just one turnover.

Martinez and center Jake Holmes paced the Pirates in the first half, forming a powerful inside-out combination. Martinez scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half, hitting both of his 3-pointers, while Holmes worked inside to get to the free-throw line seven times, hitting six, to score 10 of his 16 points at the break.

The Pirate offense moved through multiple options, overwhelming the TLU defense with no Southwestern player taking more than nine shot attempts and the entire team shooting 31-for-55 (54.4 percent) from the field, including 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) from the 3-point line.

Southwestern attacked in wave after wave, getting 14 points on seven shots from Brandon Alexander and nine points on five shots from Ryan Wheeler. Guard Luke Hicks lead the Southwestern second unit with 13 points on five shots while Kyle Howard had eight points and three assists and Trenton Garrett had seven points in 18 minutes.

The Pirates' defense might have been even better, limiting TLU to 38.7 percent shooting, including 25.6 percent from deep. Martinez was an active defender from the backcourt with two blocks and Garrett anchored the inside with two blocks and two steals in 18 minutes.

With the win, the Pirates improve to 11-12 on the season and 9-5 in conference play, having clinched a spot in the upcoming SCAC Tournament. Texas Lutheran drops to 15-8 and 10-4 in conference play.

Southwestern will finish its regular season this weekend with home games against Centenary on Friday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Austin College on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 6:00 p.m. for Senior Night.